--(2/29/00 9:36 PM) Michael Daly wrote: >They must have really cleaned up the Hudson compared to when I sailed >up it in 1977 (Norfolk to Montreal returning a boat whose owner >wintered on it in the Bahamas). Back then I kept my mouth clamped >shut against the spray and felt like I was sailing through a sewer. The >smell was unbelievable. When we tied up at the 79th St boat basin, there >was a dead pig floating by one of the docks. Some folks we knew there >told their kids that if they touched the dock or piers, they had to wash >their >hands. The ultimate downside was that they were renovating the washrooms >of the boat basin and we couldn't shower. I ended up taking a bath in a sink >in a restaurant on Broadway. Conditions improved considerably once we >sailed about a half day further up the Hudson. > >When I first read about you folks kayaking there, I cringed. I'm glad for >you >that things are better! You'd be amazed. About 4 years ago I was doing some volunteer work for the Sloop Clearwater. One of the boat's programs involves taking groups of schoolkids out into NY Harbor, throwing a net over the side for a few minutes of trawling and putting the catch into aquariums for the kids to look at. Sailing from the Statue of Liberty toward Manhattan, we came up with lots of fish, including bass, seahorses (!) and robin fish. When I was a child however, we lived near the 79th St. Boat Basin (from 1969-77), so I remember the days of the floating dead pigs! PS. The Norfolk to Montreal trip must have been great--especially since you were being paid to sail someone else's boat! *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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